FIVE YEARS AFTER IT WAS ANNOUNCED, THE HOTLY ANTICIPATED LAS VEGAS SPHERE IS OFFICIALLY OPEN FOR BEWILDERMENT, INVITING WONDER CHASING SPECTATORS ON A WILD RIDE THROUGH ROBOTS, AVATARS, HOLOGRAMS, AND OVER A MILLION LED LIGHTS

BY TIA KIM

In a city famed for feat and ­ ash, it takes a special kind of alchemy to turn heads these days. But when the 875,000 square foot Las Vegas Sphere turned on its lights for the first time last fall, there was nary a soul who didn’t fall under its psychedelic spell. Comprised of 1.2 million hockey puck sized LED lights, the Sphere takes the crown as the world’s largest video screen. Its exterior is constantly shuffling through dazzling animations and mesmerizing vignettes (think massive blinking eyeballs, watercolor effect light shows, and cutesy emojis), but for those lucky enough to score a ticket inside, a fantasyland awaits, one that pushes the boundaries of what entertainment can achieve. In addition to concerts (the Irish rock legends U2 nabbed an inaugural 40 show residency), the mega dome offers the signature Sphere experience, hosted by the humanoid robot Aura. The futuristic ride features Darren Aronofsky’s Postcard from Earth, a wildly immersive film that showcases all of the structure’s mind bending capabilities, from 50 foot high holographic images and a beam forming sound display with 167,000 speakers, to haptic seating and an in auditorium climate system that recreates everything from balmy ocean breezes to blizzards.